Okay, enough bombast.
Let's talk about Beck. Please, if only for a moment, let's discuss Beck.
More specifically, let's discuss his appearance on VH1's live performance program.
Tara and I were lucky enough to catch the end of it last night as we were hanging out and were absolutely blown away. Allow me to set the scene.
Beck is playing acoustic guitar and it's a pretty laid-back performance, featuring mostly songs off of Sea Change. He has an impressive group of back-up performers - a slide guitarist, a bassist, and a few auxillary percussionists: a shaker guy, a dude on bongos, and maybe a guy playing the fish. They're scattered around the stage, as back-up players should be.
Cut to commercial.
Now, as we come back from commercial, we see Beck, alone on the stage with his guitar. BUT WAIT! What does the camera reveal as it pans right?
The back-up band is seated around a nicely set table and they are being served salad.
I repeat: Beck's back-up band is eating dinner onstage as he performs.
It is as if they have fulfilled their back-up duties and have retreated to the green room to refuel for the next show, but the green room is onstage.
Then, halfway through the song, all pretenses of eating are abandoned and the back-up players begin to accompany Beck by banging on various plates and glasses and bowls.
It is at this point that Tara and I begin to laugh hysterically. Tara says something about how ridiculous it would be if some dude put vinegar on his finger and started playing the rim of a wine glass.
Five seconds later, they cut to a guy doing just that.
The cumulative effect was very well-done and musical, and yet utterly ridiculous and hilarious at the same time, mostly due to the fact that the musicians were incredibly earnest about the entire undertaking and performed without a shred of irony.
I salute you, back-up musicians for Beck. Well done.
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2 comments:
You have to love Beck. Apparently there's an indie act around the St. Louis scene that does much the same thing. At least as far as playing crystal cups. They're probably pissed that Beck ganked their schtick.
Almost as pissed as I was when I found out that I was not the first person to come up with the idea of "Obese-wan Kenobi." Although they use it as a webcomic and I used it as an off hand insult to a fat Star Wars fan who incured my wrath. Only later did I decide that I liked it enough to Google it, but that's another story.
- Scott
certainly, other people have played crystal cups. i did, when i was 5.
you guyyyyyyyys, they played the RIM OF A GLASS!
are you people hearing tim?
this is art at it's finest and ate a fine looking harvest salad.
thank g we caught this.
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